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Samuelson Sparks Black To Win In Men's Soccer Intrasquad Scrimmage

Freshman Ryan Samuelson's score midway through the first half was all the Black squad needed to claim a 1-0 win over the Orange in the Oregon State men's soccer team's annual Orange vs. Black intrasquad scrimmage on Wednesday at Lorenz Field.

The Black, consisting of seven of nine newcomers plus four returning players, played the returning players from last year's squad evenly the rest of the way. The Orange team featured all three of last season's All-Pac-10 players in addition to eight of the nine returning starters.

Samuelson's goal began with a long ball played by senior back Clay Carnahan to freshman Joe Zaher, who led Samuelson toward the top of the box with his pass for a one-on-one attack.

Senior All-Pac-10 keeper Peter Billmeyer got a finger on the shot, but the ball skimmed into the upper left corner.

The Black withstood a bevy of shots from the white squad, as the white blasted 13 shots on the afternoon to the Black's five. Senior Kevin Atkinson paced the White with six shots.

The Black's goalkeeping combination of Matt LaMont and Kiely Bondurant made several key saves on the day to stifle the White's comeback attempt.

'This was good,' fourth-year head coach Dana Taylor said of the scrimmage. 'We got to see some individual flair from certain players and see how they might fit into the puzzle, so that was very good.

'I was very impressed. All the guys that played did well; this was our first practice together with the newcomers on the field with the returners.'

'We brought in a highly-skilled freshman class,' senior co-captain Ryan Smith commented. 'They're definitely going to step right in and battle the upperclassmen.'

The returning players were battling fatigue on the 95 degree day after facing 10 days of practice prior to the scrimmage in preparation for the team's upcoming tour of Costa Rica.

'I saw a lot of tired bodies among the returners because they've been going for 10 days now,' Taylor said. 'I know those guys can be counted on, and they've done it for several years. Those guys are going to continue to be key pieces of that puzzle.'

The team departs for a seven-game, 12-day tour of Costa Rica on Aug. 15. Taylor plans to use that time to see who wins starting positions and playing time, as well as to create team camaraderie.

The Beavers will square off with five professional teams in addition to two Costa Rica National Teams.

'We'll use the trip for two things,' Taylor said. 'This team is a very tight family, and we have to bring the new players into the fold.

'As far as on the pitch, it's about the blending of the incoming players. Today was all about seeing who can do what, and now we've got an idea of where we can put those players. The next step is to really make them feel comfortable in their positions, and that's what Costa Rica will be for - getting them comfortable with their duties and responsibilities.'

The team gets the regular season underway four days after returning from Costa Rica with a match at Gonzaga on Aug. 30.

The Beavers' first home match is Sept. 13 when they host Cal-Riverside in the OSU/Diadora Classic.